The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube Weekender Correspondent
THERE was drama at Chief Saunyama’s shrine in Nyatate Village, Nyanga last Friday after the self-styled prophet, who misled a local family to re-bury remains of a goat, believing they were of a missing family member, was humiliated and arrested for wasting the court’s time and stage-managing the act.
The Ziko family reburied the ‘remains’ of Benenia Ziko after prophet Ngonidzashe Gwete and a manifesting spirit led the family to collect bones in a shallow grave under a tree in Harare in 2013 after the prophet had said Benenia was killed for ritual purposes years ago.
Gwete was left with an egg on the face after n’anga and exorcist Shingirai Mukotsanjera exposed the prophet for misleading the family and confirmed Benenia was indeed alive and was working in Harare.
Family member Tawanda Ziko, who was an avid follower of Gwete confessed before the packed courts that he had seen and talked to her sister Benenia last year after she came to Nyanga to check on her children.
Benenia’s mother Gogo Ziko, also made a sudden U-turn, and distanced herself from other family members, saying she knew Benenia was alive and was suprised she was hauled to the courts.
It emerged that the Ziko family paid Gwete a beast thanking him ‘for bringing their loved one’s spirit back home’. Gwete was handcuffed in full view of scores of villagers who thronged the chief’s court to hear the case.
The Manica Post, accompanied by the Ziko family and Chief Saunyama’s aides, later during the day to a grave site in Village 13 in Nyatate where the goat bones were buried. The grave was among other graves.
Chief Saunyama had earlier on instructed his security officer, Lucia Nyado to call Benenia on her NetOne line 0713997470 which she picked up.
“They talked. Lucia pretended to be a fellow villager and asked the unsuspecting Benenia to assist her to look for a job in Harare. She did not know that she was talking to my security officer. They will keep contact until we manage to lure her to come here. We did not manage to lure her to Nyanga in time because police said there was some paperwork that needed to be done before she comes to Nyanga,” said Chief Saunyama.
The Manica Post tried to contact Benenia several times but she did not pick up calls.
Chief Saunyama said: “We are going to fine the Ziko family for conniving with the fake prophet and waste the court’s time. Instead of teaming up against the prophet they actually came together and believed that Benenia was dead. Absolutely unacceptable.”
A local family which was accused of ‘killing’ Benenia were also present. Gwete had earlier on alleged that the family had a hand in the killing of Benenia for rituals.
“This is drama. Mashura chaiwo aya. I last saw Benenia in 1987 before she even got married. I don’t even have a business venture, I work somewhere. If you are a true prophet, why did you tell the whole country that we killed Benenia yet she is alive in Harare? You made people to gather to bury goat bones?,” fumed one family member who refused to be identified at the chief’s court.
Mukotsanjera said: “This family which is being accused of killing Benenia is innocent and their hands are clean. This prophet stage-managed all this so that he would be popular in the area. These are desperate days for young power-hungry prophets like him.’’
Tawanda confirmed that he met Benenia and talked to her before seeing her off to where she was married in Nyanga.
“I met Benenia here in Nyanga when she was coming from Harare. We talked at length but I did not tell her that there was her grave here in Nyanga. I did not tell my mother (Gogo Ziko) because as a family we were depending on our prophet (Gwete),” said Tawanda.
Chief Saunyama said he would do some consultations to map the way foward on what should be done with the goat remains that were buried.
“I will consult spirit mediums on the way foward regarding the goat bones that were buried. We also expect Benenia to physically come and meet her people here. We are also definitely going to fine Gwete and the Ziko family for wasting our time. The family defiled our clan by burying the goat bones,” he said.
